Rockville Centre unites for suicide prevention at annual Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation fundraiser

Community members and supporters gathered at the St. Agnes Parish Center for the Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation’s 7th annual “Rise Up for Ryan” fundraiser, uniting the Long Island community in support of suicide prevention and mental health awareness. 

The June 7 fundraising event served dinner and drinks and featured dancing and raffles. Local band Jerry and the Newcomers provided the live music. The profit from the tickets was donated to the organization.

Various people spoke throughout the evening. John O’Shea, Ryan’s father and co-founder of the organization along with his wife Mary, spoke about their son and the mission of the foundation.

Other speakers included John O’Shea’s cousin Michael Smyth, a member of the board of the foundation and Debbie Caputo. Caputo is a mental health specialist who does the training for two suicide prevention programs, Sources of Strength, a program for schools, and Assist, a program for law enforcement.

Local officials, including Deputy Mayor Kathy Baxley and Legislator Scott Davis, were in attendance as well.

“I can think of no better way to honor Ryan’s memory than their efforts to support an organization that gives those who are in crisis the tools to improve their lives and put an end to self-destructive behaviors,” Davis said. “It is always a pleasure to support ‘Rise up for Ryan’ and I am deeply grateful to Ryan’s friends and family for their commitment to this life-saving work.”

One aspect of suicide prevention the foundation is trying to communicate to the public is the 988 Suicide & Crisis Hotline.

“We’re really encouraging the 988 number,” O’Shea said. “Instead of having a long number to dial to get some help…now you can just get help just dialing 988.”

The organization has also worked with the MTA to have placards with the 988 number at the base of the stairs at the Rockville Centre Train Station platform. 

“We’re trying to get them on all the platforms on Long Island,” O’Shea said. “There are still a lot of people, as simple as it is and as much as it’s out there, a lot of people don’t know anything about 988.”

O’Shea wanted attendees of the fundraiser to know that “you’re not alone in what you go through.”

“Everybody goes through struggles. Some people it’s harder than others, but I hope that everybody gets out of it that there is a way to get help, whether it be through your own personal sources of strength or the assist of 988, talk to people,” he said. “Talk saves lives.”

The Ryan Patrick O’Shea Foundation is a non-profit organization that seeks increase mental health awareness and educate the community to help prevent suicide, according to its website. It was created to honor Ryan O’Shea, an 18-year-old Rockville Centre resident who died by suicide in 2019.

The foundation is known for incorporating fun events into its ongoing conversation about mental health. For the past six years, the organization has hosted a three-on-three basketball tournament and Suicide Awareness Walk, as O’Shea was a star player and captain of the South Side High School basketball team. In March, the foundation was the spotlight charity for a New York Islander’s game, with some of the proceeds from the tickets of the game’s 50/50 raffle going to the organization.

Read the Herald article about our event.